LIL KIM WANTED CHRISTINA MILIAN TO PORTRAY HER IN 'NOTORIOUS.'

NO MA'AM, KIMBERLY DENISE JONES

I watched Notorious this weekend in the comfort of my own home--for free--and I still feel like I paid too much! It was pure garbage. Jamal, the dude who played Biggie, smiled and grinned just a little bit too much for me. I remember Biggie always having a mean-ass looking unit on his face like this or this or this. I also couldn't get over how Jamal placed an 'f' sound on every word that ended in -th (Faithf, truthf, deathf, mouthf). Dude who played Tupac was unbelievable, it wasn't even funny. The same can be said for the little Losing Isaiah young'un who played Lil Cease and I'm not even going to get on how I sat and waited for Angela Bassett to use Voletta Wallace's accent...but to no avail Loved Derek Luke's portrayal of Puffy. Dude had Diddy's dance and swagger down pat! LOL! Faith's doppelganger was a good choice, as was Biggie's 12-year-old son C.J. who brought justice to the role of his father as an adolescent.

CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS POST AFTER THE JUMP!
Now to Naturi and the purpose of this post. Personally, I think she did an okay job as Lil Kim. I still laugh at the clip of her in the studio recording Big Momma Thang! (you got it goin' on, whut, whut). Anyhoo, imagine my surprise when I found out Lil Kim wanted the film's director to cast Christina Milian to play her in the film! What the hell was she thinking?!! And how in the hell did she think Ms. Wallace and the film's directors would let that happen? For those of you who don't know, Lil Kim was paid $5,000 to allow them to use her likeness in the movie (just like everyone else). When she showed up at the film director's office to have a meeting (about the use of her likeness), she spazzed out when she was told Naturi would be playing her. Yeah, I know some of us know this already. But what I didn't know is what she actually said to the director about Naturi during her bitch fit, which was 'She's TOO BLACK!' Cease and other sources on the set said Kim wanted Christina Milian to portray her in the movie. He also said, 'Kim don't look like herself! Look at her! I told Naturi she was doing a great job and to not let that shit affect her.'

With the extensive amount of plastic surgery she had done to look like a totally different person, I knew deep down inside there had to be an iota of self-hate within her, but this?!! Now I really and truly believe she is half-past delusional. Real talk. Could any of you see Christina Milian playing Lil Kim?

'I heard about the rumors and I'm aware of it. I feel like at the end of the day I was really happy that I had the support of the director, I had the support of the cast, and I knew that I was going to capture this role 'cause I had put my heart in it. I hope that she loves it when she sees it and I'm hoping the fans love it when they see it. I don't think it's a matter of complexion. I think people need to realize it's about playing a character and bringing out their essence...

Going into a movie like this is always pressure because they have a fan base that is looking at them now. There will always be people comparing and looking for the exact replica of who they know. So it's a challenge and it's definitely intimidating. For me this is my first big debut as an actress in a film. It's nervewracking and it's intimidating to an extent, but at the end of the day I actually try to use the challenge and those feelings as motivation. Initially it hurts a little bit but you take that and you use it as power.'

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JILL MARIE JONES NEWS, EVENT PICTURES, PHOTOSHOOT.

If you read this blog regularly or know me personally you also know that I am a big Girlfriends fan. And any and every real Girlfriends fan has their favorite. Without an iota of a doubt, Toni Childs Garrett (played by actress Jill Marie Jones)character was my absolute favorite. Since her sudden exit as the most feisty, best-dressed, love-to-hate, tell-it-like-it-is Girlfriend on sitcom television, Jill Marie Jones has made a lukewarm leap into film. Last winter, she starred alongside Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Rachel True, Charlie Murphy and Katt Williams in the Christmas flop of the season, Perfect Holiday. In August of 2008, she played Ice Cube's love interest in the well received The Longshots which also starred Keke Palmer and Tasha Smith. Just recently, the actress was cast in Drool. The dark comedy revolves around an abused wife (played by Laura Harring) whose plan to escape with a friend, played by Jones, goes awry when she accidentally kills her husband (Oded Fehr), leading the pair to drive the body cross-country. The movie is slated for a 2009 release.

Even though Jill has yet to have her named pegged to a blockbuster movie, the actress takes her film work very seriously. She recently told Clutch magazine her dream role would be to play her former-Girlfriends' castmate's (Tracee Ellis Ross) mother, Diana Ross! Jill says, "She’s literally one of the reasons I’m an actress. She’s the first brown woman I saw as an actress. When I saw her I knew it was possible." Now ain't that something?!

Below are pictures of Jill with Deelishis and actors Hosea Chanchez and Kellita Smith at Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs’ Team Sizzle Celebrity Weekend luncheon honoring Sickle Cell patients last weekend. Suggs' hosted the event in conjunction with his newly formed entertainment company, Team Sizzle Worldwide. Ticket sale proceeds will help all "Imagine a World Without Sickle Cell" by benefiting the William E. Proudford Sickle Cell Fund, Inc.

I also dug up a summer photoshoot Jill did with Rolling Out magazine. You can peep those below.

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NEW PICS: CHARLI BALTIMORE, ROXANNE SHANTE, DOUG E. FRESH, BOWLEGGED LOU IN THE SOURCE MAG WITH THEIR CHILDREN.

When hip-hop began it was comprised mostly of young people that believed in the power of their culture to change the world. More than two decades later, many of those young people have grown and passed down hip-hop's culture to a whole new generation. The folks at The Source magazine took a couple of hip-hop's hottest iconic artists of yesteryear and featured them and their offspring in a mini fashion photospread in its 20th anniversary issue. I'm guessing they threw in Charli Baltimore and her daughters for......? Eye candy? The hell if I know. Iconic she is not. Anyhoo, check out pics of Doug E. Fresh a.k.a. The Human Beatbox with two of his five sons, Slim (standing) and Jonah. Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, one of the pioneers of hip hop culture and founding members of the legendary rap group Run-D.M.C., with his only son, Darryl Jr. Rapper Charli Baltimore (born Tiffany Lane) and her two adorable daughters India and Siaani. Full Force's Bowlegged Lou (real name Lucien George, Jr.) and his son and aspiring rapper Lou$tar.

CLICK PICS TO SEE FULL IMAGE.


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And we (by 'we' I mean those of us from the old school! LOL) all remember Roxanne Shante....or shall I say Dr. Lolita Shanté Gooden. The former rapper is pictured (on the left; click it to see its full image) with her daughter Tajzae; and her three sons (from left to right) Chris, Kareem and Randy (kneeling). Shante, who graduated with a Ph.D in psychology from Cornell University, now runs her own family practice in New York. In her spare time she keeps herself involved in the entertainment industry by mentoring young, up and coming female rappers. She also owns Hip-Hop Ices ice cream parlor in Queens.

In related news, actress Keke Palmer has been cast to portray the 'First Lady of Rap' in a new biopic titled The Vapors. Set against the backdrop of New York City's infamous Queensbridge Housing Projects, The Vapors tells the story of Marley Marl, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane and Shanté, who were a part of the pioneering rap group "The Juice Crew". Clifton Powell (Ray) has also been cast to play hip hop DJ and radio host Mr. Magic. The Juice Crew, founded by Mr. Magic's on-air assistant, DJ Marley Marl, was named after one of Magic's aliases, "Sir Juice." Actor Evan Ross will play M.C. Shan. Rapper Nas is rumored to play Kool G. Rap (that's Karrine 'Superhead' Steffans first husband) while David Banner is rumored to portray Biz Markie. Ugh, right? Yeah, I know. Rumors have already began to plague this film. According to SOHH.com, the movie has allegedly 'collapsed' due to financial problems and casting issues although the Internet Movie Database has the film listed as 'in production.' I guess only time will tell.

TO READ ABOUT ROXANNE SHANTE'S RISE TO THE FAME AT THE AGE OF 14, CLICK 'READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!' AT THE BOTTOM.

According to an online mini-bio, Roxanne Shante career began at the age of 14 when she met record producer Marley Marl, radio DJ Mr. Magic, and Tyrone Williams talking about how UTFO had canceled their appearance at a show they were promoting. Shanté offered to record an answer to UTFO's recent hit Roxanne, Roxanne, which was about a woman named who rejects the members of the group. The men agreed and the result was Roxanne's Revenge, a confrontational and profane song in which Shanté assumed the role of Roxanne, dissing UTFO over a Marley Marl-produced instrumental (The official UTFO response to their own song, was the Real Roxanne with artist Adelaida Martinez assuming the role of Roxanne). Shante's version and The Real Roxanne's version sparked the Roxanne Wars and made Shante a hip-hop star in the process. The single would go on to sell over 250,000 copies in the New York area alone. It also went on to allegedly spawn 102 additional answer records. Aligning with the Juice Crew, most of her tracks would be produced by Marley Marl, with the exception of several songs on Shanté’s last album, 1992’s The Bitch Is Back.

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MO'NIQUE IN OCTOBER 2008 ISSUE OF ESSENCE MAGAZINE; ACTRESS SPILLS THE TEA ON BEING MOLESTED BY HER BROTHER; HER NEW MOVIE ROLE. IS SHE OSCAR BOUND?

For the umpteenth time, actress/comedian/author Mo’Nique is featured on the cover of Essence magazine’s October 2008 issue where she reveals a painful yet unfunny secret she’s been keeping to herself for the past 25 years: she was sexually abused by her older brother from the age of 7 until she was 11 years old. ‘I was molested by my older brother. And even when I confronted him and told my parents, he said I was lying and nothing was really done,’ she says. Wow, right? From the way I’ve heard her speak about her relationship with her father, who doted on night and day, it makes me wonder why he wouldn’t believe his baby girl. Anyhoo, Mo’Nique, now 40 years old, says her brother, who is 10 years older than her, molested her four times over the next four years after following her into the bathroom and giving her candy. When she turned 15, Mo’Nique finally mustered up enough courage to tell her parents again after a very violent episode (which she didn’t discuss in the article) took place. And although she says she doesn’t blame her parents for what happened to her, she says there were times when she was angry at them.

“I’m not blaming my parents because me and my brother were both their children, and I just don’t know the kind of position they felt they were in. My father was very upset, but it never got mentioned again. I’ll never forget my mother saying, ’If it’s true, it will surface again,’ and I remember thinking, Why would I lie? Why is there even an if in this? I was angry with them for so long, because I felt as if they should have seen what was happening. It seems celebrities always come out with these stories. But we’re real people, and a lot of real people get molested."

As for her brother, Mo’Nique has thought about the repercussions her revelation could have on him, saying:

“It makes me nervous. It’s like, Oh, God, what will it do to him when people read this? And then another part of me is like, Goddammit it, it’s my obligation to let people know, and to tell women to watch their children. I’ve never gotten a genuine ‘I’m sorry’ from my brother. He still acts like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. So screw hurting your feelings! You need to get your feelings hurt, and you need to get some help. Because I never said anything--didn’t go to the police or a counselor--my brother went on to do terrible things to someone else. He went on to sexually abuse another girl.”

For that crime, her brother was arrested, convicted and served 15 years in prison.

"[After my birth delivery] my mother put my twin boys (who are now three years old) in my brother’s arms and I suddenly thought, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t pretend. I didn’t want to make a scene at the hospital, but when I got home I called my brother and said, ‘You know what? If I never see you again in life, I’m okay. I wish you no harm, but I don’t choose to ever deal with you again.’…Parents, please listen if your baby comes to you and says anything like ‘I was uncomfortable with the way he looked at me or the way he touched me.’ Listen to them. Molestation has a damaging effect. I tried on several occasions to turn the pain of molestation into humor, but never could. I was too embarrassed to do therapy because I was always told it was a White woman’s thing. But therapy for me has been beautiful because I’m learning not to be a victim."

Mo'Nique's has not been in touch with her brother since.

CLICK 'EM TO SEE 'EM!


AFTER THE JUMP, READ ABOUT THE NEW MOVIE ROLE THAT ENCOURAGED MO’NIQUE TO SPILL HER SECRET & WHY FOLKS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE ALREADY MAKING HER NAME SYNONYMOUS WITH THE WORDS ‘ACADEMY AWARD.’

With Pepa and Faith releasing their tell-all books to reveal to the world what they went through, what prompted Mo’Nique to reveal her most darkest secret is her dramatic role in the new film Push. And if it’s as gritty as she says it is, we may not recognize the woman we’ve come to know as the funny and unpredictable Ms. Nikki Parker. In Push, which is directed by Monster’s Ball director Lee Daniels, Mo’Nique plays Mary Jones, a woman who sexually violates her own daughter---she forces her child to perform oral sex on her, beats her, makes her gorge on food--and let’s her husband continue the abuse by raping their daughter, getting her pregnant twice. Talk about being dysfunctional!! This movie, as well as Mo’Nique’s performance in it is so unimaginably ugly, unyielding and downright deplorable that some folks in the industry are already saying that this movie can do for Mo’Nique what Monster’s Ball did for Halle Berry--earn her an Academy Award.

"The boldness and honesty she brings to this character takes my breath away," says Daniel. "She metamorphoses into an absolute beast. Sometimes I had to step away and do a double take, because I found myself completely not recognizing her." Mo'Nique adds, "My brother was a monster to me. When Lee would say 'Action,' I became my brother."

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LUDACRIS TO RETIRE FROM RAP INDUSTRY & RETIRE HIS 'LUDACRIS' MONIKER AS WELL.

LOOK AT HIM!!! LOOKING LIKE A TRUE GENTLEMAN AND WHATNOT!

“This is a different business and I do want to be taken seriously, so it’s back to being Chris Bridges. I can see a point where acting is my full-time job, really. I will always be involved in music, but it may be more behind the scenes, as a producer, I will always do that. But when I look at 10 years from now, I don't think rapping is necessarily what I want to do when I'm in my 40s.”

--Rapper-turned-actor Cris Bridges (soon-to-be formerly known as Ludacris) to the Los Angeles Times on why he too is planning to retire from the rap industry. After five albums, three Grammy wins and a couple of number one spots, Ludacris says he'd rather leave rap alone so that he can focus full time on his budding acting career....after he releases his sixth album, Theater of the Mind on October 21st. On the movie front, Cris is set to star in Guy Ritchie's film Rocknrolla.

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T.G.T. (TANK, GINUWINE & TYRESE) SHELVE THEIR SUPERGROUP PROJECT.

Looks like the next L.S.G. wannabes will never be. R&B supergroup T.G.T. which consisted of R&B male singers Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank has decided to nix plans of releasing an album, blaming label politics for the project's downfall. In 2007, the trio announced plans to hit the studio together and release a collection of tracks under their new moniker. But Ginuwine (real name Elgin Lumpkin) has now revealed the disc has been put on hold indefinitely; although they've found a way around all the legal issues to release some songs to fans. He says, "Due to label and legal issues, we will not be able to release an official TGT album. However, we did make some amazing music which will appear on each of our respective albums." Ginuwine, who recently signed a new record deal with Notifi Records, will release his sixth studio album next year in 2009.

Like Ginuwine, Tyrese isn't sitting around twiddling his thumbs waiting for the next gig to fall in his lap. The singer/actor is busy making movies and running his own record label called Headquarter Entertainment. He has already signed the first act to his record label....a hip-hop/rock group who to by the name of Life Nine. Tyrese says he believes the male quintet's 'Rock-N-Hop' sound - which mixes the genres of rock, R&B and hip-hop - will appeal to music fans across the board and propel them to instant chart success. "After I heard the song Take Me There, I knew that I had the opportunity to be an integral part of something special. "I am truly excited about the undeniable potential of Life Nine." You can also check out Tyrese when he stars in violent new action film Death Race where his plays a thugged out jail prisoner named MAChine Gun Joe. (Read full movie synopsis HERE). He says, "I got so dark in this film... I stayed in character and I never came out. People really thought that I was MAChine Gun Joe. I'm not even a method actor but I had to jump into what I consider method acting on this. When I had the guys following me around in the prison yard, I ran the prison yard and I had to keep that hat on because I know a lot of people that have actually been to prison and ran prison yards. I want them to be the ones to walk up to me and say, 'Yo you did your s**t in this movie!'"

As for you boy Tank. Well, when yall find out what he's been up to, let me know....cause I have no idea.
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NEW PICS: TATYANA ALI IN KING MAGAZINE; ACTRESS DISHES ON NEW ALBUM, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 'ASHLEY BANKS' & BARACK OBAMA.

Dominican beauty and Harvard University graduate Tatyana Ali is featured once again in King magazine. In her featurette the 29-year-old actress-turned-singer discussed everything from her new film Hotel California (which co-stars Tyson Beckford), her sophomore album The Light (read more about that here on Real Gossip 101 by clicking here) as well as the the surrogate work she and sister Anastasia willingly participate in for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Don't let the Nick-at-Nite reruns fool you. Believe it or not, 'Ashley Banks' Fresh Prince of Bel Air is now a grown-ass woman. “Look, that show changed my life,” Tatyana says of her experience. “It used to freak me out watching the show, but I look at it now and say, ‘That shit was funny.’”

TATYANA ON HER ROLE IN 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA': [Laughs] "I do get jacked up. I’m known more for lighter stuff, obviously for comedy, but this is really very dramatic. And my character experiences a lot of violence and gets caught up in a situation where she has to fight for her life."

TATYANA ON HER NEW ALBUM 'THE LIGHT': "I found my voice with this album, The Light. I can never stop singing. Remember, I recorded my first album [1998’s Kiss the Sky, MJJ Music] when I was 16, and other people wrote most of the songs. I really wanted the next album that I did to express who I am. And the only way I can do that is to write it myself. So in that sense, I found my voice. I finally paired up with a producer named Johnny J, who has sold 100 million albums worldwide and is responsible for a lot of 2Pac’s music."

TATYANA ON HER WORK IN BARACK OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: "I’ve been working as a surrogate for his campaign. Surrogates can be politicians, actors, musicians or private citizens—anyone who volunteers in the campaign. Since the Iowa caucuses, I’ve been going to colleges and speaking to students, not just about Obama but about the importance of participating in the process. The notion that one vote doesn’t matter really is a lie. Just because people have done us wrong doesn’t mean we should give up. One of the reasons I did volunteer was because I was pissed at what happened in 2000 and in 2004. It made me cry. I needed to be hands-on and help, so I signed up to volunteer. You can’t let the past dictate the future. This is a fight worth fighting. I actually studied political studies and Afro-American studies in school, which was my major. I’m very interested in politics privately, but I think that each individual should be politically active. It’s really important because politics affects your everyday life; it affects how much we pay for gas. Hello? Those are the things you’re voting for in the booth, and I think people forget that. The next big fight is to get people to come out in the general election against McCain."

AFTER THE JUMP READ ABOUT TATYANA'S YEARS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND IF SHE BELIEVES FOLKS WILL EVER FORGET ABOUT 'ASHLEY BANKS.'

TATYANA ON IF SHE THINKS FOLKS WILL EVER FORGET ABOUT 'ASHLEY BANKS': "Sure, maybe. It’s not my goal. But it certainly stretched me as an actor. That’s why there’s something about the art itself, and performing, that I truly love. That still drives me. I’ve been in this business for 24 years, so there are a lot of things that I know intuitively. If I’m in the position to bring up an incredible writer, director or producer, I’ll do it in some way."

TATYANA ON HER HARVARD EDUCATION (F.Y.I. SHE GRADUATED WITH HONORS): "In Harvard, everybody was extraordinary in the town that they came from. When you get there, nobody is more extraordinary than anyone else. College was my opportunity to be around my peers, which you don’t get to do when you’re a child actor. And I wanted to be normal and see what else was out there, see what else I was good at. And there are some other things that I’m good at. I’m good at the sciences, I love learning about plants. You know, I’m a dork…it’s cool. I’ve come to terms with that and I dig it a little."

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

MOVIE TRAILER: TYLER PERRY'S 'THE FAMILY THAT PREYS' STARRING ALFRE WOODARD, SANAA LATHAN, ROCKMOND DUNBAR, TARAJI HENSON, ROBIN GIVENS....

Academy Award®-winner Kathy Bates and Academy Award®-nominee Alfre Woodard star as the matriarchs of two very different families being torn apart by greed and scandal in the contemporary drama Tyler Perry's The Family that Preys. The sixth feature film by Perry chronicles the inner workings of two families—one upper-crust and the other working class—that become inextricably linked by scandal. Wealthy socialite Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) and her dear friend Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard), a working class woman of high ideals, have enjoyed a lasting friendship throughout many years. Suddenly, their lives become mired in turmoil as their adult children’s extramarital affairs, unethical business practices and a dark paternity secret threaten to derail family fortunes and unravel the lives of all involved. Alice’s self-centered newlywed daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) is betraying her trusting husband Chris (Rockmond Dunbar) by engaging in a torrid affair with her boss and mother’s best friend’s son William (Cole Hauser). While cheating on his wife Jillian (Kadee Strickland) with a string of ongoing dalliances with his mistress Andrea, William’s true focus is to replace the COO of his mother’s lucrative construction corporation. Meanwhile, Alice’s other daughter Pam (Taraji Henson), a kind but no nonsense woman married to a hard working construction worker (Tyler Perry), tries to steer the family in a more positive direction.

While paternity secrets, marital infidelity, greed and unsavory business dealings threaten to derail both families, Charlotte and Alice decide to take a breather from it all by making a cross-country road trip in which they rediscover themselves and possibly find a way to save their families from ruin. Tyler Perry's The Family that Preys opens nationwide in theaters on September 12, 2008 and is also Perry's first film with a prominent storyline involving white characters.

WATCH THE FILM'S FULL TRAILER BELOW. AND TRY NOT TO LAUGH TOO HARD AT TYLER'S HAIR PIECE!

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READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

NEW CANDIDS: THE ROCK WITH HIS NEW GIRLFRIEND; VANESSA WILLIAMS ON 'HANNAH MONTANA' MOVIE SET; MYA IN BARBADOS + NEW MOVIE, ALBUM NEWS.

Actress Vanessa Williams was spotted filming on location for Hannah Montana: The Movie in Malibu, California. The movie is due for release in 2009.

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Recently divorced Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was spotted leaving the exclusive restaurant ZUMA in Londons Knightsbridge with his girlfriend, who bares a strong resemblance to his ex-wife. Sources say the wrestler-turned-actor and his new boo enjoyed each other's company for about an hour and a half before leaving the eatery....with a big ass toothy-grin plastered on his face! That's the grin of a very happy man in love. So uh, who wants to break what could be really heartbreaking news to The Rock's crush, Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas of TLC? Bless her heart.

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Although we haven't heard or seen much of Ms. Mya as of late, it doesn't mean the singer/actress has been spending her of idle time twiddling her thumbs or frolicking on the beaches of Barbados in a hot pink halter-style bikini as shown in the photos below taken last weekend. The singer had been in the Caribbean to attend a charity event, which she never showed up to due to issues beyond her control. Last May I told you all that Mya had broken her foot thereby postponing her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago. Fortunately, the singer has made a speedy recovery and has underwent physical therapy, according to her manager. She is now in dance rehearsals for Chicago. Her manager also said that fans could possibly hear a new album from Mya as early as this fall. Now, that I will have to see to believe. Too many false starts. On the movie front, Mya has just wrapped filming on Love for Sale; a comedy/drama where she plays the lead female role of Keiley. The film was written/produced by syndicated radio show host Russ Parr and also stars Jackie Long, Jason Weaver, Melyssa Ford, Essence Atkins, Big Daddy Kane and Clifton Powell. Watch the Love for Sale movie trailer here.

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